Cote being called up is a direct endictment of the play of Barberio and Aulie (and Taormina and Korobov, for that matter). It's an admission that they're not confident any of those 4 guys can be a consistent NHL defenseman.

Ultimately, though, if the team hangs in another 4-6 weeks and keeps manufacturing wins, Yzerman's got to pull the trigger on a trade. He owes it to his team, frankly. If he times it to coincide roughly with Stammer's return, he'll give the Lightning about 20 games to gel going into the playoffs where, if Bishop continues to play well, they could be extremely dangerous (if Stamkos gives you instant PP production).

Seriously, the East is dreck outside of Boston and Pittsburgh. If either (or both) of those teams craps the bed in the first or second round before the Lightning get to them, there's some strong possibilities the Lightning could have a pretty magical postseason run if Yzerman adds a piece on the backline. Getting Stammer back will feel like he traded for a 40-50 goal scorer.

I hope Cote does well because I'd love to see him fill that role of a 6/7 defenseman the rest of this season and next season. I hope that Witkowski develops into the type of d man that Cote is because his game reminds me a lot of Cote's

I hope Cote does well because I'd love to see him fill that role of a 6/7 defenseman the rest of this season and next season. I hope that Witkowski develops into the type of d man that Cote is because his game reminds me a lot of Cote's

I don't think we can have enough of these guys skating around. Anyone that shows what hard work and persistence can get you. #26 is number one for this in my book.